The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-09-08


for this county, which closed on Friday
last, should receive some attention from
school boards. Theseinstitutes are schools
for teachers where they can learn some
thing of professional work. A large ma
Jor1ty of those who manage country
schools have no means of learning how to
manage school except through the In
stltute and teachers meetings. The fact
that many cannot afford to take course
In a normal school, has induced the state
to bring the instruction to their doors,
SO to speak. But they refuse to take ad-
vantage of it.
There are 143 teachers in the county.
OF that number, IA attended the institute
for this year. The entire enrolment was
104 and 30 of these have never taught.
The average attendance per day was only
70, showing an irregularity of attendance
which would be startling In the worst
country school in the county. The
average number of days attended by each
member is only little over 31s. OF the
l04 enrolled, only 25 attended the entire
five days. Their names are: NJ. J. Nc
keough, John E. Hewitt, Blanche Stu
pecky, Hermina Falge, Emma G. Schnei-
der, Maggie Y. Kelley, Josie Thompson,
Mary Z. Burke, Julia A. McKeough, Adj
die Prochazka, Lucy Fechter, Kate Kir-
wan, Constance Roeffs, Clara Tostensen,
Ida Mason, Minnie Goedjen, Lizzie Mea-
ny, Verona OGrady, Hattie V. Mcintosh,
Emma Siebert, Julia Dubetsky, Rosie
Pospisiel, Edward Monahan, Max Staehle
A. ". Dassler. OF this number, eight
have never taught school, Every one of
the seventeen who have taught school
| and who have been constant in atten-
dance during the past week, has attend
ed Institutes before. The average num-
Der of days each has attended is 25.
There are teachers in this county who
have never been present an hour at an
institute. All school boards ask of them
is a license to teach" and they think
there is no need, so far as securing en-
ployment goes, to learn how to teach
There is much talk of poor schools, but
many school boards will not extend bit
of aid to make them better No person
should be employed as teacher who has
not spent some time at a normal school
or at an institute. But there are perhaps
not ten school officers in the county who
ask any questions of applicants to learn
what degree of interest is taken in school
work, and the result is that only those
who are urged on by their own ambition,
| seek to improve themselves.
There is great deal of excuse for the
non-attendance of those teachers who
| have spent ten months of the year in the
school room and those are wholly excus-
able who have been pretty constant in
attendance upon former institutes. But
| the teacher who has no time to attend an
institute has no time to teach. How does
it come that he finds time to attend the
examination? If he has no time to fit
himself for his work is it proper to allow
| him to undertake the work?
The average daily attendance shows
| another defect,-teachers enrolling with
out any purpose of being present for any
longer time than is sufficient to warrant
being classed as members. Certificates
showing the attendance of teachers were
at one time issued but not one single in
stance in the county could be found
where school officer asked for this GER
| tifcate.
| The work done at these Institutes is of
such character that attendance of the
members must be continuous in order that
| they derive the full benefit. But when only
IL out of 143 show disposition to profit
to the fullest extent by these schools, it
is only natural an inquiry should be made
| as to the cause.
How many school boards in this coun-
ty have inquired of the teachers they have
employed, the number of days spent at
Institutes? There is no possible excuse
this year for the young men. Harvesting
was over and fall work had not fairly be-
gun. In any event, nothing but weighty
consideration should deter teachers of
little experience from being present.
Schools are organized not to furnish en-
ployment to the teacher, but to give in
struction to the children, and the teacher
who does not put himself in line with the
best thought in matters pertaining to his
calling, should find it difficult to get en-
ployment. But he does not. He finds
time TO canvass the county to secure a
| school, but not a minute toward fitting
himself to do the work in that school
which he ought.
Many insist they can get no good from
the institute. When a person reaches
that stage that he is beyond instruction
his ability will warrant his seeking more
remunerative position than that of teach
er in a mixed school, 1t is passing strange
how the leading educators of the state
should show such little judgment as to
provide for teachers Institutes when the
backwoods teacher finds they are no good
and 1t is strange that these teachers max
ing the most rapid advancement and Sc
curing constant promotion, find the in
stitute most excellent school Strange,
but true.
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